Nurse, Madonna, and waitress??

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Just wondering how many of you got the impression that too much of the general public's view of nurses seems unrealistically high or on the other side, they treat us with the same disdain as gum on the bottom of one's shoe. Not patients, more like visitors or in social circles.

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.

Other than at Halloween, none. 99% of the time I'm met with reasonable respect for being a nurse. And if I didn't it wouldn't matter, I absolutely love my job and that's not based on how the public views it.

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Usually in the general public I get a lot of respect, especially when I tell them I am a peds nurse. I have received the worst treatment from some of the parents of patients but luckily that does not happen very often, either. Usually the parents who are the worst are fed up, tired, stressed out, and know more about their special needs kids than we ever can, and they are protective.

I am very proud of my job.

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I think for the general public, nurse = mom.

Mom gets lots of public praise and a set of angel wings, but underneath the hype, there is disrespect and a sense of being taken for granted. Everything falls to mom. Mom/nurse does what she does out of a calling; skills and pay and status don't matter.

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I'm disappointed.

I thought that the title of this thread was going to be the name of a new girl rock group :)

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I'm disappointed.

I thought that the title of this thread was going to be the name of a new girl rock group :)

Good idea!!! Let's look for band members...:smokin:

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.
Good idea!!! Let's look for band members...:smokin:

Is be interested but I'm too busy doing Jell-O shots and eating the young. Maybe next time around

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Is be interested but I'm too busy doing Jell-O shots and eating the young. Maybe next time around

You sound perfect. Let us know when you're schedule opens up!

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.
You sound perfect. Let us know when you're schedule opens up!

I'll have my people call your people!

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

I am currently working in a very affluent area. Many of our patients, and their families, seem to view us as servants and waitresses. Refreshments are provided in all of the waiting rooms (seriously) but they once in a while still summon me to place drink orders. Last week a visitor said but we want fresh brewed coffee. Like I am a barista or something. I said sorry this isn't Starbucks. If this is what it's come to then I want a 20% tip.

They think they can walk in at any hour, half drunk and I can make a physician appear to chat with them. They think the rules and basic common courtesy doesn't apply to them.

So my top priority when doing the admission is to identify the family spokesperson so that I can avoid the rest of the crew. I actually had half a dozen of these people show up, demand hospital rooms, meal trays, toothbrushes, another oxygen tank, extra pillows and blankets, and management waited on them like they were at the Plaza and they complained that the beds were too hard.

The general public has no idea of the level of education and training required to do what we do.

These days, in my little corner of the world, visitors seem to equate nurse with room service.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

Didn't we JUST do this,people?Interestingly, I see a different tone in this thread.The OP is a woman, the last time we went down this road we were sent there by a man.Hmmm,I must ponder this.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

I'm too old to be a whore; not saintly enough to be a Madonna.

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